Rack for hematocrit tubes



April 5, 1965 J. J. sHAPlRo 3,176,504

RACK FOR HEMATOCRIT TUBES Filed May 2l, 1962 I3 Z :zv L/ /H sa IIILUI v INVENTOR JUST/NJ. SHAP/eo FIG 3 BY# adm Afro/eA/Y United States Patent O 3,176,504 RACK FR IEMATOCRIT TUBES llustin J. Shapiro, 39 Domingo Ave., Berkeley, Calif.

uned May 21,1962, ser. No. 196,077

3 Claims. (Cl. 731-61) This invention relates to racks for slender elongated containers, and more particularly to an improved supporting rack for hematocrit tubes used for testing blood specimens.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved disposable supporting rack for hematocrit tubes, for supporting blood specimens for sedimentation testing thereof, said rack being very simple in construction, being relatively compact in size, and being arranged to support a relatively large number of hematocrit tubes in vertical, stable, and highly visible positions.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved disposable supporting rack for hematocrit tubes which is very inexpensive to fabricate, which is adapted to safely and reliably support a relatively large quantity of hematocrit tubes in easily visible stable vertical positions with easy access to said tubes, and which supports the tubes in spaced positions and With minimum risk of breakage or other damage to said tubes.

Further objects and `advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGUREV l is a perspective view of an improved disposable supporting rack for hematocrit tubes constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged elevational view of a typical hematocrit tube adapted toVbe supported in the rack of FIGURE 1. Y

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the inner corrugated paper tube supporting core employed in the rack of FIG- URE 1, shown in la partly unrolled condition.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical crosssectional view taken substantially on the lineV 4 4 of FIGURE l.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an improved disposable rack device according to the present invention, said device being adapted to removably support a plurality of calibrated glass sedimentationtubes 12 in vertical positions, namely, in positions to support blood samples or the like for specified periods of time to Iallow sedimentary material in the samples to settle, the calibration markings 14 on the tubes providing sedimentation data relative to the particular samples. The tubes may be suitably labelled or otherwise distinctively marked Vso that they can be readily identified, for example, they may be provided with numbered labels 13 at their top portions.

The rack 11 comprises a generally cylindrical main shell 15 of stili cardboard, or the like, open at its top and bottom ends and of a height generally corresponding to that of the sedimentation tubes 12. Disposed within the main shell and fitting relatively tightly therein is la rolled-up strip 16 of corrugated paper material, said strip comprising a smooth paper backing sheet 17 to which is glued the corrugated paper strip 18, the resultant composite corrugated paper body 16 being quite flexible in a direction transverse to the corrugations of the strip 18 but being relatively stiff in a direction parallel to said corrugations. Y

ice

less lthan the height of the shell '15, so that the upper portions of sedimentation tubes 12 engaged vertically between the convolutions of the body will be exposed.

The corrugations in the respective convolutions of body 16 define vertical grooves adapted to receive the relatively slender tubes 12, the convolutions being Suthciently yieldable to allow the tubes to be inserted in said grooves or channels, whereby the tubes will be clampingly engaged and will be supported vertically therein. Due to the yieldability of the rolled-up body 16, the tubes may be easily inserted between. the convolutions, and may be readily removed therefrom.

A band 19 of corrugated paper material is glued or otherwise suitably secured to the outer surface of the main shell 15, the band 19 being substantially the same in height as the inner bodyv 16. The corrugations of the band 19 face outwardly and define vertical grooves or channels adapted to receive sedimentation tubes I12, as shown in FIGURE l, the tubes being retained in the vertical grooves or channels of band 19 by an elastic band 20 of rubber or similar resilient material engaged. around the rack. The elastic band 20 normally surrounds the intermediate portion of the outer corrugated paper member 19, allowing tubes 12 to be readily inserted in the Vertical grooves of member 19 within the elastic band 20 and allowing said tubes to be easily removed when desired.

In using the device simply as a rack, it may be placed on a flat horizontal surface and the tubes 12 may be inserted vertically between the vertically corrugated convolutions of the inner body 16 and between the elastic band 20 and the grooves of the outer verticallyV corrugated member 19, with the closed bottom ends of the tubes adjacent the horizontal bottom supporting surface. The tubes will thus be supported vertically withtheir labelled top ends clearly visible for easy identification. As will be readily apparent, due to the relatively large number of available supporting grooves or channels provided by the members 16 and 19, a relatively large number'of sedimentation tubes may be supported in a single rack y11.

The device may also be employed as a storage container for empty tubes, from which empty tubes may be taken, as required, may be filled with blood samples, and may then be engaged between the outer corrugated member 19 and the elastic band 20 for sedimentation and display. Thus, the empty tubes 12 may be packed within the shell member 15 between the convolutions of the body 16 in inverted positions, namely, with their closed ends up, as shown in FIGURE 1. In this manner no dust c an settle into the tubes, nor can any spray or spilled liquids enter the tubes. The tubes 12 may then be removed from the body 16 as needed, inverted, filled with oxalated blood to the uppermost scale numeral, for example, the 10 mark, inserted between the -outer corrugated band 19 and the elastic band 20, and left for gie time needed to observe sedimentation, usually, one

our.

It is important that the .tubes be undisturbed to read the sedimentation pate; this is another reason Why it is desirable to support them outside the shell member 19, where the length of the clear column of plasma may be read often, if required, without removing the tubes from the rack. The shell 15 has a brightly colored upper outer surface 21, for example, bright green, visible as a band above the outer corrugated member 19. This bright band displays the top portions of the filled sedimentation tubes 12 to best advantage. Most of the normal bloods will have one hour sedimentation rates Within this band. Zero to 7 mm. is normal for men `and zero to l5 mm. is normal for women, at the one hour rate. Y

Since the components of the rack are made of very inexpensive material, namely, paper or the like, it is of very low cost and can be discarded after use. The tubes 12 are similarly of Very simple and inexpensive construction and m-ay likewise be discarded after use.

While a specific embodiment of an improved disposable supporting rack for hematocrit tubes has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it willbe understood that various modifications with-in the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A rack for slender glass tubes comprising a generally cylindrical shell member of relatively stiff cardboard material open at its top end and adapted to stand in an upright position on a horizontal supporting surface, a relatively yieldable vertical rolled-up supporting core of vertically `corrugated relatively flexible paper material snugly and tightly enclosed in said shell member, said core being normally slightly larger in diameter than `the inside of the shell member, said core being adapted to clampingly receive the tubes 4between yadjacent convolutions thereof in the vertical grooves dened by the corrugations and to clampingly support the tubes in inverted readily accessible positions, a corrugated paper band surrounding the outer surface of thetshell member and having outwardly facf ing vertical corrugations, and an elastic band surrounding said paperV band and being adapted toV clampingly engage -tubes disposed in the vertical grooves dened by the corrugations of the paper band and to support said lastnamed tubes in upright positions, said corrugated .paper Y being normally slightly larger in diameter than the inside of the shell member, said core being adapted to clampingly receive the tubes between adjacent convolutions thereof in the vertical grooves dened by the corrugations and to clampingly support the tubes in inverted readily accessible positions, a corrugated paper band surrounding the outer surface of the shell member and having outwardly facing vertical corrugations, and an elastic band surrounding said paper band and being adapted to clampingly engage tubes disposed in the vertical grooves deiined by the corrugat-ions of the paper band and to support said last-named tubes in upright positions, said vertical supporting core and said corrugated .paper band being substantially lower in height than the shell member, whereby to allow the upper portions of the tubes engaged therewith to be exposed and whereby the upper portion of the shellV member above the paper band will provide a visual background for the upper portions of the tubes, the said upper portion of the shell member having a` height `corresponding to the one hour sedimentation rate of normal blood. I

3V. The structure of claim 2, land wherein said upper portion of the shell member has a brightly colored outer surface, whereby to display the top portions of the tubes to best advantage.

References Cited by lthe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Examiner. 

1. A RACK FOR SLENDER GLASS TUBES COMPRISING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL SHELL MEMBER OF RELATIVELY STIFF CARDBOARD MATERIAL OPEN AT ITS TOP END ADAPTED TO STAND IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION ON A HORIZONTAL SUPPORTING SURFACE, A RELATIVELY YIELDABLE VERTICAL ROLLED-UP SUPPORTING CORE OF VERTICALLY CORRUGATED RELATIVELY FLEXIBLE PAPER MATERIAL SNUGLY AND TIGHTLY ENCLOSED IN SAID SHELL MEMBER, SAID CORE BEING NORMALLY SLIGHTLY LARGER IN DIAMETER THAN THE INSIDE OF THE SHELL MEMBER, SAID CORE BEING ADAPTED TO CLAMPINGLY RECEIVE THE TUBES BETWEEN ADJACENT CONVOLUTIONS THEREOF IN THE VERTICAL GROOVES DEFINED BY THE CORRUGATIONS AND TO CLAMPINGLY SUPPORT THE TUBES IN INVERTED READILY ACCESSIBLE POSITIONS A CORRUGATED PAPER BAND SURROUNDING THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE SHELL MEMBER AND HAVING OUTWARDLY FACING VERTICAL CORRUGATIONS, AND AN ELASTIC BAND SURROUNDING SAID PAPER BAND AND BEING ADAPTED TO CLAMPINGLY ENGAGE TUBES DISPOSED IN THE VERTICAL GROOVES DEFINED BY THE CORRUGATIONS OF THE PAPER BAND AND TO SUPPORT SAID LASTNAMED TUBES IN UPRIGHT POSITIONS, SAID CORRUGATED PAPER BAND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER IN HEIGHT THAN THE SHELL MEMBER, WHEREBY THE UPPER PORTION OF THE SHELL MEMBER WILL PROVIDE A VISUAL BACKGROUND FOR THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE TUBES. 